Sharif Digital Repository

Employing dampers to control wave-induced and seismic vibrations of offshore jacket platforms is an attractive method in order to mitigate fatigue and seismic damage. However, adjustable parameters of a damper are designed by considering only one type of environmental loads; either normal-condition load or extreme-condition load. So, it is important to investigate effectiveness of damping system, for both of two main categories of environmental loads. Also it is ideal for the system to have an acceptable performance in both normal and extreme conditions. The idea investigated in the current study is to use a friction damper device (FDD) and a tuned mass damper (TMD) simultaneously in... 

In this paper, the capabilities of tuned mass dampers (TMDs) for the mitigation of response of nonlinear frame structures subjected to earthquakes have been studied. To determine the optimal parameters of a TMD, including its mass, stiffness and damping, we developed an optimization algorithm based on the minimization of a performance index, defined as a function of the response of the nonlinear structure to be controlled. Distributed genetic algorithm has been used to solve the optimization problem. For illustration, the method has been applied to the design of a linear TMD for an eight-story nonlinear shear building with bilinear hysteretic material behavior subjected to earthquake. The... 

The tension leg platform (TLP) is comprised of a buoyant hull that holds the platform’s topside. A group of tendons under the columns connect the TLP to the foundation. The TLP is displaced in six degrees of freedom due to environmental loads. Tendons moor the TLP in vertical direction (heave and pitch). Surge amplitude (horizontal displacement) of TLP is greater than other degrees of freedom. Also heave motion is coupled with surge one. Therefore, it is important to introduce and implement a method to control and reduce displacement of the TLP in horizontal direction. In this paper, a passive control system (double horizontal tuned mass damper (TMD)) is used to mitigate the surge motion of... 

In this paper, optimal design and assessment of the capability of Tuned Mass Dampers (TMDs) in improving the seismic behavior of Confined masonry walls, as the main element of historical buildings, has been studied. For this purpose, the design parameters of TMDs have been determined through minimization of wall response using Genetic Algorithms (GAs). To simulate the behavior of Confined masonry wall under earthquake, the triple linear shear beam model has been used. For illustration, the method has been tested on Confined masonry walls equipped with linear TMDs. To study the effects of frequency content and Peak Ground Acceleration (PGA) of earthquake records on the performance of TMDs,... 

Performances of tuned mass dampers and friction dampers to mitigate the wave induced vibrations in jacket type offshore platforms have been compared in this study. Due to the random nature of ocean waves, a full stochastic analysis method has been used to evaluate the response of the structures equipped with these devices. A stochastic linearization technique has been used to take the nonlinear behavior of friction dampers into account. The developed mathematical formulation has been applied to evaluate the response of realistic models, and to find out the optimal values for the adjustable parameters of friction dampers. The results have been verified in comparison with time domain nonlinear... 

Highly dynamic nature of the applied loads on flexible and lightly damped offshore wind turbine (OWT) foundations affects the lifetime and serviceability of the system. In this study, the excessive vibration responses of OWTs are minimized using tuned mass dampers (TMD) and tuned liquid column dampers (TLCD). Due to high efficiency of TLCDs and TMDs for certain loading conditions, a combined TLCD-TMD is also utilized to improve the overall performance in a wide range of loading conditions. First, a parametric study was performed that highlights the sensitivity of these structural control devices. The effect of two devices on fixed offshore wind turbine foundations for the benchmark 5 MW NREL... 

Considering the stress cycles in joints and members due to wave induced forces on offshore platforms, fatigue analysis is therefore one of the most important analyses in offshore platforms design. Most of steel jacket type platforms located in areas with relatively high ratios of operational sea-states to maximum design environmental events; fall in acceptable safety margin in inplace and seismic analyses. But in fatigue analyses they will face critical condition. Therefore it seems that utilizing control mechanisms with the aim of increasing fatigue life in such platforms will be more preferable to merely deck displacement control. Investigation of tuned mass dampers adjustable parameters...